Oaxaca Stories in Cloth: A Book About People, Belonging, Identity and Adornment

2016 | Art, Photography & Fashion

Eric Mindling has been travelling the back roads of Oaxaca, Mexico, for over two decades. Oaxaca Stories in Cloth shows not only his love, but his respect for that dramatic geography and the people who have made it their home. More than 100 sensitive, intimate, full-colour portraits of traditional people offer rare glimpses of Oaxacan village life. The companion vignettes are a beautiful blend of villagers' personal stories and Mindling's praise song to the vanishing cultural traditions of Mexico. You will hear the voices of El Mago, the Magician, whose tales conjure an ancient world where women, cloth, and land were one, and La Coronela, once a high-ranking colonel in the army, who now explains the evolution of Zapotec fashion. You will meet Viviana the candle maker, Juana the young embroiderer, Marina the palm weaver, and dozens more who all come to life in remarkable photographs. Mindling's images capture the details of specific moments in everyday Oaxaca life today while conveying the history and enduring story of generations.

The book is arranged in two sections: Living Threads records those villages where the community fashion of generations will die with the remaining elders. Each section is a beautiful and significant account.

Eric Sebastian Mindling (Author)